3 Students Receive Scholarships for Emerging Leaders

Honor Commemorates Former UT Dallas VP and Public Administration Professor

Oct. 9, 2008

Three public affairs graduate students in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences have been selected to receive the 2008 Larry D. Terry Emerging Leaders Scholarship. Doctoral students Christopher Bartels and Kurt Steward, and Master of Public Affairs student Jordan Wagnon will each receive $1,000 scholarships.

The scholarship fund was created to honor the memory of Dr. Larry D. Terry, who served as UT Dallas’ vice president for Business Affairs from May 2005 until June 2006. Terry joined the university in 2001 as a professor of public administration. He was an acclaimed author, international authority in public administration, and a member of the National Academy of Public Administration. He also served as editor of the prestigious scholarly journal Public Administration Review. Organizations, such as the American Society of Public Administration, and many of Terry’s colleagues in the public administration community made generous contributions to the fund.

“Dr. Terry often took a personal interest in young scholars by mentoring and encouraging them to achieve their full potential. This scholarship process provided public affairs graduate students an opportunity to explore ideas important to the intellectual integrity of Dr. Terry’s scholarly work in public administration,” said Dr. Stephanie Newbold, who chaired the selection committee. Dr. Simon Fass and Dr. Paul Battaglio also served on the committee.

The scholarship application required students to think critically about Alexander Hamilton’s argument in Federalist 27. Applicants wrote an essay comparing Hamilton’s position on the relationships between sound administrative management and the citizenry’s confidence in their government and focused on important themes found in Terry’s work, particularly public sector leadership, administrative conservatorship and democracy.

“I did not know Dr. Terry; however, from reading his book, I gained a unique perspective on the role of career civil servants in government and their responsibility of upholding the Constitution’s fundamental principles,” said scholarship recipient Kurt Steward.

Interested donors can contribute to the Larry D. Terry Emerging Leaders Scholarship fund by contacting Dr. Douglas Watson, head of the Public Affairs program.

“I not only agree with Dr. Terry that we have a responsibility to uphold the Constitution, I believe protecting the principles of the Constitution and the principles of ethics is the very purpose of public administration.”

- Jordan Wagnon

“A career in city government appeals to me because cities are the first responders in getting critical services to the people who most need them. All levels of government need people who have a strong foundation and are well-prepared.”

– Kurt Steward

“The Ph.D. program in Public Affairs is a great opportunity to build on existing skills and explore new avenues of research.”